Browned butter, eggnog spice cake with eggnog buttercream and cinnamon chip ganache.

eggnog

Eggnog Cake

Yield: 1 3-layer 8-inch cake or 4-layer 6-inch cake

Ingredients

Browned Butter Eggnog Cake

3 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup browned butter, made ahead and softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

5 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup eggnog

Eggnog Buttercream

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, slightly cold and cut into cubes

6 cups powdered sugar, measured and then sifted

6 tablespoons eggnog

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon Chip Ganache

1 cup Hershey’s cinnamon baking chips

1/4 heavy whipping cream

Instructions

For the Browned Butter Eggnog Cake

In a medium saucepan, melt the one cup of butter over medium-high heat. Continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until the butter is browned and fragrant. The butter will foam up a bit and there will be bit of browned butter at the bottom of the pan when it’s done. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the butter to a heat-safe container.

Refrigerate until the consistency of softened butter. (I made my browned butter the night before baking and took it out of the fridge a few hours before I started so it had time to soften).

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray your pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper rounds and spray again. Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, combine and whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the browned butter until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar, and increase the speed to medium-high. Beat the butter and sugars for about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for another 30 seconds.

With the mixer on medium-low, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until combined in between each addition. Add the vanilla. Mix until incorporated and scrape down the bowl again.

Turn your mixer to low speed. Add the flour mixture alternating with the eggnog, starting and ending with the flour. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds or until combined. Do not over beat your batter.

Using a kitchen scale, evenly distribute the cake batter between the pans. Bake for about 20 to 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Let the cakes cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before removing them from the pans to cool completely. Can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for up to two weeks.

For the Eggnog Buttercream

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and cream cheese until smooth.

With the mixer on low, gradually add the remaining ingredients until combined.

Turn the mixer to medium-high and continue to beat the buttercream until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

For the Cinnamon Chip Ganache

In a microwave safe bowl or over the stove, heat the cream until simmering. Pour the cream over the cinnamon chips and stir until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth and silky.

The mixture cool slightly before using. It will thicken up during this time.

Assembly

After leveling your cakes, if needed, spread a dab of frosting on your cake board, and place the first cake layer, top side up, on top.

Cover the first cake layer with about 3/4 cup eggnog buttercream, and then drizzle with the cinnamon chip ganache.

To make sure the ganache doesn’t come out the sides of the came, use your offset icing spatula to create a little barrier around the edge of the cake or pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the cake.

Repeat step 2 with your second cake layer. The final cake layer should be placed top side down.

Apply a thin layer of frosting around the cake. Freeze the cake for 10 to 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.

Continue frosting the cake with the remaining buttercream.

Use extra cinnamon chip ganache as a drip on top.

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